Sharing it and demonstrating it among other hydroponic
gardeners, the formula reached a stage of maturity in 2011 and
became available to interested buyers. Realizing that there
is still room for growth in hydroponic gardening, Hydroponic
Research continues to innovate and experiment with new
hydroponic solutions in their San Diego laboratories.
“
SOLSTICE GARDEN SUPPLY:
In 2014, Zack Vondrak (formerly of
Aptus, Advanced) met Larose at a
meeting in San Diego and realized
the potential for a comprehensive
powder nutrient line. He asked
Patrick Kanzler (the former GM of
Humboldt Wholesale, a.k.a. House
and Garden) to help him with the venture. After testing the
nutrient line personally, Kanzler recognized the revolutionary
technology present in the formulas. With their combined expe-
rience in sales, marketing, and distribution, they made the
perfect team to bring VEG+BLOOM to market on a large scale.
Being a grower and thinking like a grower,
I CREATED PRODUCTS OUT OF NECESSITY.”
How did you get into this industry?
HYDROPONIC RESEARCH:
Growing up in Escondido, CA in a humble home that sat
on a plot of highly fertile land, (Hydroponic Research
founder) Christopher Larose began developing an interest
in agriculture at a young age. His father taught him how
to care for a variety of plants such as peppers, oranges,
peaches, tomatoes, lettuce, roses, avocados, pears, and
kiwis. As a young adult, he became fascinated with
botany and soil chemistry and began experimenting with
hydroponic gardening, absorbing as much information as
possible from interactions with other hydroponic farmers,
books, and other resources. Frustrated by the absence of
an all-phase hydroponic nutrient that could provide all
necessary nutrients throughout the life cycle of a plant, he
set out to generate an easy-to-use, yet powerful formula that
complemented both tap water and reverse osmosis (RO)
water sources. Encouraged by growers who were astounded
by the performance of his formula, Larose finally decided
to make his premium hydroponic nutrient and outstanding
solution available to hydroponic farmers throughout the
United States. In 2010, he set up a laboratory and warehouse
space in San Diego and began conducting experiments
to perfect Hydroponic Research’s VEG+BLOOM formula.
What were the start-up years like?
HYDROPONIC RESEARCH:
Hard. Being a grower and thinking like a grower, I created
products out of necessity. I needed simple and complete — less
guessing and more growing. It was easy to overlook that store
owners selling liquids were less interested in one product not
require multiple things to work.
What were some of your struggles as you started the
business? How did you overcome them?
From being nobody in this industry and becoming somebody.
It was a unique obstacle. Scaling up and learning to be a
manufacturer and what is required to refine a product and
maintain consistency. I had to develop relationships ranging
from pharmaceutical suppliers, food ingredient distributors,
and industrial engineers. It was a lot of work. Many companies
are formed from capitalist concerns. We were able to grow as a
company from the need to develop tools we use ourselves.
Maximum Yield
63